Aug 7 Goblin Valley State Park

“Nature is ever at work building and pulling down, creating and destroying, keeping everything whirling and flowing, allowing no rest but in rhythmical motion, chasing everything in endless song out of one beautiful form into another.” -John Muir

As a family we travel for fun, but we also travel for work that is fun! And work is what brought us to Goblin Valley State Park. It was a happy discovery in our search for filming locations for Mariposa Pictures' latest short film, The Traveler. Goblin Valley State Park is an otherworldly location with an army of hoodoo goblins. And that was just what we were out to find. On this trip we added a few extra adventurers; our nephew Isaac (Writer/Director), and close family friends Carter (Cinematographer) and Andrew (Actor).

We spent three days exploring and filming at Goblin Valley. It costs $15 per day to visit the park, which is located in Green River, Utah. When you arrive at the parking lot there are two restrooms (one at each end of the parking lot), and a covered pavilion with picnic tables. Definitely bring water and snacks. From the parking lot you can take the stairs that lead down into the valley and start exploring. With no trails to follow, it is one giant playground. I hope these photos will inspire you to want to visit Goblin Valley State Park.

Addy and Andrew having fun on a drizzly, location scouting day at Goblin Valley.

Playing a game of hide-n-seek was definitely on the agenda.

Photo Credit: Carter Rutledge

Despite Ridley’s facial expression, they were having fun after a long day of shooting.

Our sweet Ava taking a break during filming. Ava did all the costume design artwork and storyboards for the film. So her job on set was to assist when needed!

Isaac and Carter checking out a possible location.

If we were ever missing Addy and Andrew, all we had to do was look up. Chances are they were climbing way higher than they should have been!

Acrobat Addy was having fun practicing during her downtime from filming.

The last day of filming at Goblin Valley was warm, so these four found a shady place to hide.

You wouldn’t know it by looking at this picture, but these two actors were the villains. Check out the guardian hoodoos in the background. They stand guard as you drive into the park!

We would totally recommend a visit to Goblin Valley State Park! The kids loved the freedom they had to climb and explore. Our next couple of days were spent hiking and filming at Capitol Reef National Park. Thanks for following along!